Sunday, February 21, 2010

The popular outdoor pool at Riverbank State Park in Upper Manhattan and the closing of Bayswater Point, a 12 acre park located on the eastern shore of Jamaica Bay in Queens are among the area park facilities which would be affected under under Governor David Paterson's proposed Budget.

State parks and historic sites could close as the state deals with an $8.2 billion budget gap, According to NY1 News.

On Friday, parks officials recommended shuttering 41 parks and 14 historic sites, as well as reducing service at 23 other parks. The changes would affect two city parks.

Bayswater Point State Park in Jamaica Bay, Queens would be closed under the proposal.

Riverbank State Park on Manhattan's West Side would remain open, but would no longer offer seniors classes and community events. It would also shut down the outdoor swimming pool and reduce operating hours.

Some popular spots outside of the city could also see some changes.

Jones Beach State Park on Long Island would close one its pools and cancel its Fourth of July fireworks display, while the pools at Montauk Downs State Park and Tallman Mountain State Park would also shut down.

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation says it is also proposing $4 million in fee increases.

ALBANY -- Long Island parks would be among the hardest hit by Gov. Paterson's latest effort to keep the state out the red -- with nearly a dozen in Suffolk and Nassau counties targeted yesterday for closure or service cuts.

The governor's hack-and-slash parks plan, unbelievably, was unveiled the day before his scheduled campaign kickoff in Hempstead, LI.

It also calls for boarding up Bayswater Point State Park in Queens and reducing hours at Riverbank State Park on the Hudson in upper Manhattan.

In all, Paterson has called for closing 55 parks and historic sites and shuttering facilities and canceling programs at another 24.

Pools would be closed at Jones Beach, Heckscher, Montauk Downs and Riverbank Park, wedged between the Hudson and the Henry Hudson Parkway.